3 reasons Bills can't afford to lose CB Stephon Gilmore

3 reasons Bills can't afford to lose CB Stephon Gilmore

When the Buffalo Bills selected cornerback Stephon Gilmore 10th overall in the 2012 NFL Draft, many believed the Bills found themselves a true shutdown cornerback and a franchise cornerstone to build around on defense.

At 6-foot-1, 190-pounds together with 4.4 speed, Gilmore offers a unique blend of size, strength and athleticism. His ability to play press coverage allows him to use his physicality to jam wide receivers at the line of scrimmage, which disrupts the timing of opposing passing games.

In his five seasons with Buffalo, Gilmore has shown flashes of being a dominant corner. Yet, Gilmore’s inconsistencies have plagued his reputation as a shutdown cornerback.

With Gilmore bound to hit free agency in March, it’ll be imperative for General Manager Doug Whaley to assemble a long-term deal with the former Gamecock.

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Second half surge

After struggling to find his rhythm in the first half of the 2016 season, Gilmore finished the season on a high note.

Gilmore flashed his shutdown ability when it counted. While being contested with top-10 passing attacks against the Cincinnati Bengals, Oakland Raiders and Pittsburgh Steelers, Gilmore was an integral part in holding quarterbacks Andy Dalton, Derek Carr and Ben Rothelisberger each under 300 yards passing.

In those three games, Gilmore racked up three interceptions while blanketing top-flight wide receivers in Amari Cooper and Antonio Brown when matched up one-on-one.

Cornerback value

With a majority of offenses emphasizing the passing game in today’s NFL, the demand for top cornerbacks to counteract the air-raid revolution is at an all-time high.

In fact, cornerbacks that contain the size and athleticism of Gilmore are at a premium. With more and more teams trouncing out bigger and faster wide receivers, the supply of cornerbacks that share similar physical traits are rarely available.

Gilmore has the physical makeup of a prototypical cornerback teams crave to have on their roster. If Gilmore were to hit the free agent market, there would be plenty of suitors willing to throw top cornerback money at him.

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A good example from the 2016 offseason is Janoris Jenkins. Jenkins was a talented corner with the (then) St. Louis Rams who also had issues with consistency. Jenkins tested free agency and was rewarded a five-year, $62.5 million contract with the New York Giants. Jenkins lived up to his massive contract, finishing the 2016 season as one of the best cornerbacks in NFL.

The Bills must realize this and therefore take advantage of their time they have to negotiate with Gilmore, and finalize a long-term contract before the free agent frenzy begins.

Depth

There can never be enough shutdown corners on a roster. For the Bills, cornerback is positional group they can’t afford to lose talent.

If Gilmore leaves Buffalo, the Bills secondary would look incredibly thin. With the safeties currently struggling to hold their own in coverage, Buffalo’s secondary is very reliant on the play of their two starting cornerbacks in Gilmore and Ronald Darby.

Darby would be the only proven and talented cornerback in the starting lineup if Gilmore were to depart in free agency. Recalling to the Raiders matchup in Week 13, when Darby was out of the lineup, the Bills were exposed through reserves Kevon Seymour and Corey White, presenting the lack of depth at cornerback.

In a division where Tom Brady and the New England Patriots reign supreme, the Bills would be wise to retain the services of their top corner, Gilmore, and continue to build upon a solid defensive core in Buffalo instead of rebuilding.

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